Mike Moroney pair on road to summer racing riches
Mike Moroney is looking forward to the return to the racetrack of Elkington Road after a setback ruled him out of the spring.
Elkington Road runs in the Catanach’s Jewellers Handicap (1200m) at Caulfield on Saturday in which he will be joined by stablemate Jungle Jim.
A winner of three races on wet tracks, Moroney said Elkington Road had overcome little issues’ and was looking forward to seeing the gelding on top of the ground.
“We were thinking this is not the right time of the year to bring him back because he wants give in the ground,” Moroney said.
“But those issues seem to have gone past him now and I’ve trialled him on top of the ground and he’s been impressive, and he’s shown no signs of jarring up on the firmer ground.”
Elkington Road showed an abundance of early ability, winning his first two starts on heavy ground at Sandown and Flemington before running tenth in the Caulfield Guineas, beaten 1-¾ lengths.
He returned in the autumn, finishing fourth in the CS Hayes Stakes at Flemington first-up and was beaten 3-¼ lengths in the Australian Guineas, before winning on soft ground at Sandown later on.
“He’s come back terrific. I think he’s in for a really good campaign and I think he’s an under-rated horse,” Moroney said.
Stablemate Jungle Jim already has a run under the belt and Moroney said the sprinter will be in for a busy summer campaign.
Jungle Jim finished sixth to Taunting at Cranbourne on November 25 with the trainer saying the sprinter was underdone for his first-up assignment.
“He usually takes a run, and we went into the race off one jump-out,” Moroney said.
“We decided to use that race rather give him another jump-out as we knew he would be in for a bit of racing over the summer.
“He’s had a lot go wrong. He’s had two wind operations, but he’s got through those fine, that’s why he’s lightly raced, but he’s got some talent on his day.
“He’ll probably lead. He’s a very fast horse. He’s got good barrier speed and there’s not many that can head him off early.”
More Racing News
Thrilling Scone Cup success for in-form Hellsing
Trained by Annabel and Rob Archibald, Hellsing has entered excellent shape and notched his finest victory yet in the Listed $200,000 Arrowfield Scone Cup (1600m) held at Scone on Friday.On his 10th run in a preparation exceeding six months, Hellsing is thriving more than ever, building on a Royal Randwick...
Trainer Moloney sees ongoing enhancement in Hearcomesthestar
Improvement has marked every preparation, and John Moloney, the trainer, expects additional development from Hearcomesthestar in her upcoming appearance at Flemington.From 28 races, Hearcomesthestar has notched six wins and eight places, but Stakes grade has proven challenging for her.The approaching six-year-old earned a Listed placing at Geelong earlier this year,...
Searle family from SA chasing Melbourne Cup dream with Sir Kingsford
Gary and Nichole Searle, together with their daughter Brianna Callanan, form a South Australian training outfit with ambitions for Sir Kingsford in the Melbourne Cup.A victory in Saturday's Listed Andrew Ramsden (3200m) at Flemington earns the winner a Melbourne Cup ballot exemption ahead of the big November event.Nichole Searle sampled...
Scone's Luskin Star Stakes sees Estadio Mestalla with tough weight
Trainer Joe Pride questions the two-kilo advantage given to a Group 1 winner over Estadio Mestalla in the Luskin Star Stakes, but trusts the steady gelding to deliver full commitment.At seven years old, he notched his top triumph in the prior year's Listed Winter Stakes (1100m) and must shoulder 61kg...
Barrier 18 no hindrance to Sequista's Scone return
Trainers Gerald Ryan and Sterling Alexiou believe filly Sequista has the class for black-type success despite her tendency to undermine herself.Having notched stakes placings in the 2024 Inglis Nursery (1000m) and run near the placings in Tempted's Percy Sykes Stakes (1200m), the three-year-old targets another milestone in Saturday's Listed Denise's...
Flemington awaits Concord Connie's next bold move
Trainer Charlotte Littlefield hopes her talented filly Concord Connie can replicate her recent feat before entertaining grander aspirations.In her third race appearance at Flemington on Anzac Day, Concord Connie notched a breathtaking win by six lengths in sharp time.This Saturday, the filly heads back to Flemington to compete against the...
Dark Jewel Classic in sights for Harlem Queen
While Harlem Queen didn't sustain her early promise from age three, trainer Nathan Doyle feels confident after her trouble-free lead-up that she might restore reliable results.She returns Saturday in the Dark Jewel Classic (1400m) held at Scone, where despite preferring stamina tests ahead, barrier five positions her well for Doyle's...
Flemington run to decide Different Gravy's Queensland Derby chances
At Flemington, Different Gravy will put his Queensland Derby dreams to the test in upcoming action.Following a Listed triumph over 1800m at Flemington on Melbourne Cup Day last year, trainer Henry Dwyer fixed his focus on the northern Derby.The Group 1 Queensland Derby (2400m) at Eagle Farm scheduled for May...
Abounding's scratch lets Napoleonic into Doomben 10,000 lineup
Confirmation has arrived that Napoleonic will join the Doomben 10,000 field, following Abounding's removal which opened the door for the colt in the elite Group 1 dash.Team members experienced a stressful seven days after the three-year-old earned second emergency status for the $1.5 million event, as reserve Beadman claimed a...
Snowden's stable loaded with top sprinters for feature clashes
Boasting a stable full of high-caliber sprinters primed for black-type action, trainer Peter Snowden enjoys the luxury of picking and choosing among several prestigious races.Just a couple of weeks earlier, Zealously claimed victory in the Hawkesbury Gold Rush (1100m), followed by King Of Roseau and Beadman grabbing interstate stakes wins...